Take the risk

You will miss 100% of the shots that you don't take.
- Wayne Gretzky
Today, a friend of mine told me a story about himself. Let me forward it to you in the form of a precious lesson.
A few days earlier my friend who was an early riser was in the gym tearing down his muscles and breaking down his limits. It was his daily routine from which he never deviated. But something unusual happened that day. As my friend was busy lifting those weights, a beautiful lady entered the gym. When my friend noticed her, he got that butterfly feeling in his stomach. So gathering some courage, he went ahead to speak with her. Well, the woman was very friendly and the conversation went well until at last the time came when he needed to ask her out on a date. But as he was able to reach the top, the fear of the unknown seized him and he choose to let go of the beautiful window of opportunity presented in front of him. Today, he regret losing such a beautiful chance. 
A great person once said " Opportunities always look bigger going than coming". So, the lesson that I wanted to teach you was that- There would be times in your life when life would send you a window of opportunity. At that time, either you can choose to let the fear of the unknown overcome you and lose or you can choose to win. And remember, by winning I don't mean that you would get what lies behind that window but 'trying'. Because real heroes are those who try regardless of the result that they might have to face.
Taking risks and going for what you want is also important because of the following reasons:-
* It boosts your self confidence -- Every time you take the risk to step into the unknown, you give yourself a dose of self confidence cause you did what you were afraid of. You crushed your fears. So showed the world that you are someone and you deserve respect.
* It helps you stand out of the crowd -- Not everyone has the courage to step out of their comfort zone and put the efforts in order to make their lives a masterpiece. So as you take some risk, you take the road which would lead you to place where you'll be called a leader instead of being a part of the crowd.
* You get the reward -- Of course, you'll not win every time you try. But that's the point. If you win, then you get the reward but if you lose then you'll gain something equally (if not more) important i.e experience. And then equipped with the confidence and experience that you receive, you'll try again and again until you get what you really deserve. The reward called success.
* You get to know the beauty of life -- People do the same stuff that they do every year for 80 times and then call it a life. Well that's not so in my dictionary. In my dictionary a life isn't well lived if the limitations bounding us aren't challenged again and again. A life isn't well lived if all the possibilities to become great aren't explored. A life isn't well lived if the risks aren't taken.
But you might say that it's easier said than done. Surely you're right. If it was so easy to do then wouldn't everybody be doing it. But what if I were to tell you that it may be somewhat hard for you to step out of your comfort zone but it's really not as hard as you expect it to be. Would you believe me? Well I have got proof to prove that many of the fears that are keeping you from reaching those rewards (that I believe you deserve) are unjustified.
As my friend Margie Warrell said in her post "Take A Risk: The odds are better than you think". She pointed out four facts that are the main reason for our not being able to take those risks.
1. We over-estimate the probability of something going wrong -- When assessing risk, potential looses tend to loom larger than potential gains. That is we tend to focus more on what might go wrong, what we might lose or sacrifice than what might go right. Because what we focus on tend to magnify in our imaginations, it causes us to misjudge( and overestimate) the likelihood of it occurring. Yet the reality is that the risk of something not working out is often not near as high as we estimate and the odds of it working out well, are often far better.
2. We exaggerate the consequences of what happens if it does go wrong -- We come up with dire and dramatic worst case scenario images in our minds-eye. We imagine everything spiraling shockingly out of control while we passively stand by. But the point is, we are neurologically wired to exaggerate how bad things could be if our plans didn't work out.
3. We underestimate our ability to handle the consequences of risk -- Too often we let our misgivings about whether what it takes to succeed get the better of us. The result is that we often avoid taking on new challenges because we don't trust sufficiently in our ability to rise to the challenges they involve.
4. We discount or deny the cost of inaction, and sticking with the status quo -- We tell ourselves " it's not so bad" and delude ourselves with the hope that our circumstances will somehow just 'sort themselves out'. We come up with excuses for why sticking with the status quo is a feasible option; why playing safe and not putting ourselves at risk of failing and looking is sensible. In reality, things that aren't working out well for us now only tend to get worse over time.
In this article, till now I have tried my best to encourage you to take the risks and as a result enjoy the beauty of life. But as we reach closer to the end. I'm gonna give you some tips on "How to be better at risk taking". So, here they are:-
* Always think positive -- This might be something that you've heard a lot of times before. But remember this whenever you're taking risks. Try to imagine in your mind that you've become the winner and are enjoying the success that you get. This is because of the fact that whatever a human mind focus on, tends to grow in his imagination. And you surely don't want the unknown to have a big shadow.
* Start small then go big -- Yes, start by taking small risks at first. Slowly you will gain experience, confidence and your fear from the unknown will also shrink. Then after being comfortable with these small risks go biggie.
Note:-  Taking smaller risks may include eating something that you've never eaten before, having conversation with new people, taking different roads, doing something that you like but others might dislike, etc.
* Understand your fears -- When you understand what your fears are then overcoming them can be easier. All it need is to be understood. Take your time with your fears and then watch them shrinking down to the size of a sand grain.
* Talk to people who have taken that risk before -- Ever heard of the four minute mile barrier. Well, before 1954 people believed that running a mile in four minutes is impossible. But after Roger Bannister broke the record and showed them that it is possible. Within weeks, many other athletes also broke the record. Today the mile record has been lowered to almost 17 seconds. This is the power of believing in other person. So if you talk to someone who has conquered the mountain that you are about to climb. Then your fear will dramatically decrease.
Now it's time for me to leave the conversation and for you to start thinking and acting towards your best life. Go get 'em.
Also, if you have any story in which you took the risk and it either benefited you or gave you experience, then please leave it in the comment box below. I will be very pleased to hear from you.